Furnace pull-out apparatus



Dec. 14, 1954 c, PALMER ETAL 2,696,922

FURNACE PULL-OUT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 15, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l I NVENTORS CHARL-Es PALMER EDQAR G. WOODWARD k Y J BY XW ATTORNEY Dec. 14,1954 c, P M ETAL 2,696,922

FURNACE PULL-OUT APPARATUS- Filed Feb. 15, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 TI9.Z

INVENTORS CHARLES PALMER y EDGAR G. WOODWARD ATTORNEY Dec. 14, 1954 c.PALMER ET AL 2,696,922

FURNACE PULL-OUT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 15, 1952 I: Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTORS CHARLES PALMER BY EDGAR G. WOODWARD ATTOR NEY United StatesPatentO FURNACE PULLOUT APPARATUS Charles Palmer and Edgar G. Woodward,Worcester, Mass, ass'ignors 'to Morgan Construction Company, Worcester,.Mass.,- a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 15,1952,:SerialNo. 271,736

I 8 Claims. (Cl. 214- 18) This invention-relates to furnace pulloutapparatus and'more particularly to a 'devi'ce for removing hot metalbail ls'from :a furnace and introducing them into a rolling nn- Int'herolling of metalbillets and bars, it is customary to heatthem in a gasor ofl fired 'furnacetothe required rollingtemperatures before passingthem into the rolling mill. "When the bar has reachedthe discharge endof the furnace, -it is pushed lengthwise through -a small doorway in theside of the furnace. The protruding end ofthebar is'grasped'betw'eentwopinch rolls. The pinch rolls pull the bar out of thefurnace and introduce it into the rolling mill. In the ,pas'ttheserolls'have been mounted on the furnace structure over the discharge doorway.

In this position they weresubject to the expansion'and contractionmovement of the furnace and to the high temperatures of the furnacegases emitted "through the doorway, whereby high maintenance costs wereex perienced. Now, it is often'desira'ble to be able to have clearaccess to the discharge door in order to clean out the furnace or toremove bars which, for one reason or another, cannotbe pushed out in theordinary way. With the prior art devices it has been difficult, if notimpossible, to cle'arthe discharge door for access thereto. Furthermore,it was not-possible to adjust the pinch roll gap or pressure toaccommodate various sizes and types of bar under various conditions, Thepresent invention obviates these d'i'fii'culties of the prior art in anovel manner.

it "is therefore an outstanding: object of the present invention toprovide a pullout roll apparatus which can be easily removed from thedischarge door of a furnace for access thereto.

It is another object of this invention to provide pinch rolls for movingbars longitudinally, wherein the spacing and pressure between the= rolls:isr'controllable and adjustable.

.A further object of this invention is the provision of a furnacepullout-apparatus in-which the rolls maybe easily and convenientlyseparated.

Still another object of. the invention is to provide a furnace .pulloutapparatus having an upper roll portion which'may be moved horizontallyor vertically away from the remainder'of'the apparatus and which can besecurely locked in operative position..

With these andother objects in view, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of partsset forth in the specification and covered by the claims appendedhereto.

Referring to the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the inventionand in which like reference numerals indicate like parts,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus of the invention,

Figure 2 is an elevation view of the invention looking toward thefurnace,

Figure 3 is a view of the invention taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Like reference characters refer to similar parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

Referring first to Figure 1, which best shows the general features ofthe invention, the pulloutapparatus, generally designated by thereference character 10, is shown mounted on the floor of a mill in frontof a furnace 11. The furnace 11 is of a well-known type for heating barsprior to their passage through a rolling mill and it comprises arefractory wall 12 supported by vertical beams 13 and horizontal beams14. A discharge door 15 passes through Aimotor *base=?18 ismounted onthe: floor some distance fromrthe hese 116 and: hasa motor 19 fixedthereto and dniving aigear reductionapparatus' 20'. The apparatus 20 1s,Iin' turn, connected to a drive shaft 21 which is coupled totheapparatus in a manner to be described hereinafter.

Referringnext to Figured, the base 16 is shown as an elongatedrectangular member having ways 22 on which the upper member 17 :restsfor sliding movement in a. direction'paraliel to theturnace wall. Thebase 16 and the upper member 17 are connected for movement relative toone another by a hydraulic jack 23, the cylinder 24 of whichis connectedto abracket 25 on the base 16 and the piston rod 26 of which-isconnected to a bracket 27 on the underside =ofs't h'e upper member 17..A holddownblo'ck' 28.is atta'ohed'to the base 16-and a similar I block29 is fastened tothe upper member 17; these blocks have mating inclined.fac eswhich engage and clamp the upper member-downwardly on the base 16when it is in operative position before "the furnace door. The fixing ofthe upper member in operative position is further carried out by theprovision of a wedge apparatus 30. This apparatus consists of alowerprojection 31 which is a part-of the upper member 17, an upperprojection 32 which is apart of the base 16; and 'awedge 33; The twoprojections are'provided'with grooves for 'guiding the wedge and it canbe seen that driving thewedge between the projections will draw theupper member. downwardly onto the baseId. The grooves for holding thewedge are inclined as 'shown in the drawing so thatdriving'the wedgeserves the further purpose of :moving the upper member to the-right inFigure '2 along the base and causing the inclined facesofthe blocks'28'and 29 to slide along each gtherlan'd 'pull the upper member downwardlyonto the ase Referring next to Figure 3, the base 16 isprovided with anupstanding pedestaI 34 along the side adjacent the furnace and "at thetop of the pedestal is mounted an elongated bottom roll 35. The roll 35is mounted horizontally in bearings 36 and is connected to and drivenby' the drive shaft-21. The uppermost portion of the roll 35 *is' at thehearth line "of the *furnace or slightly there above. A top roll 37 ismounted-'over the bottom 35 on a horizontal axis parallel to that of thebottom roll; the top'roll islrotatably held at it's ends in bearings '33atone end oif 'an arm 39. i The arm 39 is coextensive with the roll "andconsists of a broad web 40 having vertical strengthening "flanges 41.The arm 39 is keyed to a shaft 42 which is spaced rearwardly andupwardly from the bottom roll 35 and is mounted in bearings 43 which arefixed "to "the upper member 17. The shaft 42'extends through and beyondthe bearing on the motor 'side o'f the apparatus and 'tothis extensionis keved a crank arm 44 which is pivotally attached near its other endto a piston rod 45 of a pneumatic motor 46. The motor 46 has pivot pins47 extending from its sides in such a manner that their axes are alignedand pass through the center of gravity of the motor. The pins 47 aremounted in bearings 48 fastened to the upper member 17. so that themotor is free to rotate slightly about the axis of the pins. The extremeend of the crank arm 44 has a threaded bore 49 passing therethrough in adirection perpendicular to the axis of the bottom roll and through thisbore is threaded a bolt 50 having its head positioned away from thefurnace; a stop 51 is formed on the up er member 17 in a position to beengaged by the head of the bolt 50 in its rearward movement. A guidetrough 52 is provided beneath the arm 39 and the shaft 42 and extendingrearwardly of the rolls 35 and 37.

In the operation of the apparatus, a bar passes broadwise through thefurnace 11 and finally arrives in heated condition opposite the door 15.It is pushed longitudinally through the door and passes between therolls 35 and 37. The bottom roll 35 is driven by the motor 19, while thetop roll 37 is an idler. Both rolls may have serrated surfaces in orderthat they may grasp the bar more securely. The top roll 37 is moveddownwardly into engagement with the bar by the actuation of thepneumatic motor 46; the piston 45 is drawn into the motor, thus movingthe lower end of the crank arm 44 rearwardly until the head of the bolt50 strikes the stop 51. Generally speaking, the top roll 37 strikes thebar before its downward movement is stopped by the bolt 50 striking thestop 51 and the roll separating forces are absorbed by the pneumaticmotor 46. In other words, the top roll 37 is pressed downwardly on thebar by the motor 46 and this causes the bar to be clamped between therolls and moved therethrough by the driving of the bottom roll 35. Theposition of the top roll will vary with the thickness of the rod and, ofcourse, this means that the roll pressure will be constant regardless ofirregularities in the bar, etc. After the bar passes through the rolls,it slides along the trough 52 and from there enters the rolling mill, aswitching means, or a runon table depending upon the particular millarrangement. It is desired to clear the neighborhood of the furnace doorso that the furnace can be cleaned or so that difficulties in thefurnace can be cleared up, the upper member 17 along with the top roll37 and associated apparatus may be moved along the base 16; this is doneby removing the wedge 33 and then actuating the hydraulic jack 23. Thebase 16, with its pedestal 34 and the bottom roll 35 remain behind, butthey are below the bottom edge of the furnace door and do not interferewith the use of cleaning rods and the like.

While certain novel features of the invention have been shown anddescribed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it must beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theforms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the essence ofthe invention.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed as new anddesired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A furnace pullout apparatus, comprising: a base, a horizontal bottomroll rotatably mounted on said base, a motor connected to the bottomroll for the driving thereof, an upper member mounted on said base forsliding motion parallel to the axis of said bottom roll, a top rollrotatably mounted parallel to the bottom roll on said upper member andoverlying said bottom roll, said top roll being capable of movementtoward-and away from the bottom roll, and means mounted on said uppermember for moving the top roll toward and away from the bottom roll.

2. A furnace pullout apparatus, comprising: a base,

a horizontal bottom roll rotatably mounted on said base,

a motor connected to the bottom roll for the driving thereof, an uppermember mounted on said base and capable of sliding motion relative tothe base parallel to the axis of said bottom roll, means for locking theupper member and the base together, a top roll rotatably mounted on saidupper member parallel to the bottom roll and overlying said roll, saidtop roll being capable of movement toward and away from the bottom roll,means mounted on said upper member for moving the top roll toward andaway from the bottom roll, and means limiting the movement of the toproll toward the bottom roll.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for lockingthe upper member and the base together comprises projections on themember and base having inclined mating surfaces.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for lockingthe upper member and the base together comprises projections on themember and base and a wedge extending therebetween.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means mounted onsaid upper member for moving the top roll toward and away from thebottom roll comprises a pneumatic motor.

6. A pullout apparatus for use in drawing bars and the like from thedischarge door of a furnace, comprising: a base fixedly mounted in frontof the said door, a horizontal bottom roll rotatably mounted on saidbase on a level with the bottom edge of the door, a motor connected tothe bottom roll for the driving thereof, an upper member mounted on saidbase for sliding motion relative to the base parallel to the plane ofthe furnace door, means for actuating said motion between the uppermember and the base, means for locking the upper member in position onthe base in front of the door, a top roll rotatably mounted on saidupper member parallel to the bottom roll and overlying said bottom roll,said top roll being capable of movement toward and away from the bottomroll, means mounted on said upper member for moving the top roll towardand away from the bottom roll, and means limiting the movement of thetop roll toward the bottom roll.

7. A furnace pullout apparatus, comprising: a driven horizontal bottomroll having a fixed position relative to the furnace, an idler top rollmounted parallel to the bottom roll, an arm mounted for pivotal motionabout one end, said top roll being journaled in the other end of the armon an axis parallel to the axis of the top roll and overlying the bottomroll, and a pneumatic motor for actuating said pivotal motion of the armto carry the top roll toward andaway from the bottom roll.

8. A furnace pullout apparatus, comprising: a driven horizontal bottomroll, an idler top roll mounted parallel to the bottom roll, an arm, ashaft rotatably mounted on an axis parallel to the axis of said bottomroll, said arm being pivotally mounted at oneend on said shaft, the toproll being journaled in the other end of said arm so as to overlie thebottom roll, a crank arm attached at one end to said shaft, a pneumaticrotor attached to the other end of said crank arm for the actuationthereof,

- and means attached to said crank arm for limiting movement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,097,303 Costello May 19, 1914 2,351,962 Harrison June 20,1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 473,996 Germany Mar. 28, 1929

